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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25838260">Apeiron</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milletrye/pseuds/Milletrye'>Milletrye</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Detentionaire (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Depression, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, and way too much headcanon spilling lmao, some darker notions but also lots of fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:13:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,588</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25838260</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Milletrye/pseuds/Milletrye</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After several requests from Cyrus, Goob figures it's finally time to visit his bandmate's grandfather he's heard so much about. But he isn't entirely convinced it's a good idea - because as great as Cy's always made him sound, Goob knows something about Virgil Xavier that his friend doesn't. Something that, if Cyrus finds out, could end up changing their relationship forever.</p><hr/><p>A follow-up to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24751543/chapters/59841736">Symphony Impossible to Play</a>. Reading that first is recommended for context.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cyrus Xavier/Goob (Detentionaire)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>apeiron</em><br/>
<em>(/əˈpaɪrɒn/; Greek: ἄπειρον)</em><br/>
<em>"(that which is) unlimited, boundless, infinite, or indefinite"</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>Goob wasn't all that much into sports.</p><p>Gym class was fun, sure, but that was mostly because he got to slam balls into the faces of people he couldn't stand. He'd been into baseball once, too, but then his dad had gotten so busy with his job that they hardly got to play anymore. And anything else was a pain to even attempt in his hoodie; the hoodie he refused to take off no matter what exhausting shit they were doing in class. He had his reasons, even if only a few people knew about them. Not that he was planning on changing that anytime soon.</p><p>Cyrus, on the other hand, had taken up fencing as an after-school activity, and while he'd only done it initially so his dad would appreciate his efforts to stay healthy or whatever, he had actually become pretty good at it over time. He was the best fencer A Nigma High had these days, and Goob loved watching him during the tournaments, even if all of Cy's features were obscured by the helmet he had to wear. Cy had always been graceful, with the way he was playing his guitar and all, but fencing extended all of that to his entire body… and as much as Goob still struggled to admit it, in those moments, he really couldn't deny his feelings for Cy anymore. Especially not whenever his bandmate took off his helmet after a match and shook his hair back into place, a sight that Goob would never, ever, grow tired of.</p><p>And he hated the fact that he was missing out on it at this very moment.</p><p>It was a Saturday, and Goob was spending it the same way he usually did, hanging out in his room and trying to teach himself some new bass tabs via whatever he could find online. This time, though, he kept getting distracted, because even with his notifications on, he couldn't help but check his phone every couple minutes. Cy and the rest of the fencing team were competing in another tournament right now, and unlike most other times, Goob hadn't been able to come along. Cy's dad was attending the match for once, so he'd decided to stay home and wait for Cy to tell him how things had gone.</p><p>It wasn't that Goob was scared of meeting Ruben Xavier in person, these days. Just a few weeks ago, they'd already taken care of that, because Cy's father had invited him and the rest of the DoD to a fancy as hell restaurant. They'd had to pretend to be just as fancy that day, the complete opposite of what the band was usually like, and even though they'd managed to pull it off, Goob wasn't planning on repeating it anytime soon. So watching Cy's match had come down to either attending in his usual getup, hoodie and all, making Mr Xavier realize what kind of person he really was - or to showing up in a semi-presentable outfit, which would have revealed far too much of his body to those of his classmates who were at the match as well. And since neither of that was really an option, he had decided to just sit this one out.</p><p>Goob had to admit, however, that sitting this out was starting to get kind of stressful. From the way those matches usually went down, Cy definitely should have sent him a message by now. <em>He probably just forgot</em>, Goob told himself - his friend had a habit of doing that, after all. So he sent him a text of his own, because at least Cy was usually quick to reply to those.</p><p>Usually.</p><p>When Cy still hadn't responded after half an hour, Goob decided to call him. Was he being clingy? Probably. And he was probably getting on Cy's nerves whenever he did stuff like this, too. But still, Cy had promised to fill him in on what he'd missed out on, so a reminder really couldn't hurt, could it? With a sigh, Goob tapped on the little green icon next to Cy's name, held his phone to his ear, and waited.</p><p>"Yes?", someone picked up after a few seconds, and Goob nearly dropped his phone. This was a female voice, an adult voice. Clearly not Cy's, in any case.</p><p>It wasn't a voice he recognized either, so Goob assumed he'd somehow managed to call a stranger on accident. He didn't know what to say for a moment, but then, he opened his mouth to apologize and hang up to try again.</p><p>Before he could do that, however, the woman spoke up once more, all neutral and disinterested. "Oh, right. You were expecting Cyrus, weren't you?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah", Goob replied, partly relieved that he'd gotten the number right after all and partly confused about what was going on. "Is he -"</p><p>"I'm afraid that's not possible right now", the woman cut him off, and Goob awkwardly fell silent. "He had an accident earlier."</p><p>That was the second time Goob almost dropped his phone. Immediately, he focused on his breathing, trying to keep it from being audibly panicked. His heart, sure enough, was racing far too fast all of a sudden. <em>An accident</em>, the words echoed inside his head, and he was reminded of a conversation he'd had with his father years ago. About his grandfather, Kenneth Goober, who'd died in a car crash way back in the 80s. In an <em>accident</em>.</p><p>Was this what his dad had felt like when he'd found out about that?</p><p>"What do you mean, an accident?", Goob almost yelled into the phone, painfully aware of how desperate he sounded right now. Not that it mattered. All that mattered was Cy. "Is he alright?"</p><p>Maybe it was because of the sheer terror he was feeling that he couldn't register anything else, but the woman still sounded entirely unaffected. "He sprained his leg during a fencing match about an hour ago and is at the hospital right now. But he is fine otherwise and will be able to return to school on Monday."</p><p>Goob breathed a sigh of relief he was sure the woman could hear, but once again, she kept on talking before he could gather his thoughts enough to reply.</p><p>"I can tell him you called, if you'd like", she said, and had already hung up before he could have said anything.</p><p>Or before he could have asked her about who she even was.</p><p>Still, Goob couldn't really have cared less. Slowly, he lowered the hand that was holding the phone, fleetingly noticing how much he was shaking. For one horrifying moment, he'd come awfully close to believing that Cy was <em>dead</em>. But he wasn't. He'd just sprained his leg, nothing else. He'd be fine.</p><p>Goob broke down crying anyway.</p>
<hr/><p>He didn't hear from Cy for the rest of the weekend, although he wasn't exactly sure why. Goob had had to stay at the hospital before, back when one of the jerks from middle school had broken his nose, and they hadn't let him use his phone then - but that was because that'd have messed him up if he'd had a concussion, they'd said. He highly doubted Cy could've gotten a concussion from spraining his leg in a fencing match.</p><p>But all he could really do was wait for school to start again, no matter how long the rest of the weekend dragged on. Eventually, though, it was Monday at last, and Goob lingered around the entrance of A Nigma High until he saw a sleek black car pulling over - a car that belonged to Mr Xavier, he remembered from their meeting a while back. Cy usually took the streetcar to school, but as he stepped out of the vehicle now, Goob saw why he hadn't this time: there was a white cast covering Cy's right foot and lower leg, and he was obviously still a bit struggling as he attempted to use the crutch the hospital must have provided him with. Goob had to stop himself from running over to him immediately - he couldn't risk Mr Xavier seeing him like this, hoodie and all.</p><p>Once the car was gone again, though, he was on his way to his friend, and he noticed in surprise how Cy actually seemed upbeat. Almost more so than usual, even.</p><p>"Hey", Goob greeted him, then shut himself up before he could end up spilling to Cy how worried he'd been.</p><p>"Hey", his friend replied, letting Goob support him as they walked towards the building. Cy was attracting attention already, Goob could hear as much, but he suspected it was only gonna get bad the second Chaz and his team shoved a camera into his face, so he let himself enjoy the calm before the storm for now. "Sorry I couldn't get back to you, dude", Cy said now. "My mom decided to take the opportunity and let me stay completely offline for a bit."</p><p>Goob stared at him for a moment. "Wait, your mom? Was she the one who -"</p><p>"Who picked up when you called? Yeah. She is like that." Cy shrugged, which almost made him lose his balance for a moment. Goob grabbed him in time, sure enough, but his mind was racing all the same.</p><p>"I didn't know your mom's in town." He didn't know much about her in general, really, only that she didn't have as much of an issue with Cy's passions as his dad. And that Cy only saw her a few times a year; whenever her job as a consultant for companies all over the world allowed her to come back to town for a bit.</p><p>"Yeah, sometimes she shows up without telling us first", Cy explained, sounding all casual. As if he didn't really have any particular feelings about that one way or the other. "Thanks for calling me, though. Really appreciate it. Just a shame I didn't get to finish the match."</p><p>"You're alive. That's all that matters." Goob had said it without thinking, and now he sincerely hoped nobody else had listened in on that.</p><p>Cy, at least, didn't tease him about it; he only shot him a genuine smile. "True enough. And besides, this thing has its benefits too." He vaguely gestured down at his cast, and Goob really could hear the relief in his voice. "Remember all those stairs back at my dad's place? Yeah, I convinced him there's no way I'm gonna bother with those multiple times every day. So he agreed to let me stay at my grandpa's until the cast is off."</p><p>"Really?", Goob asked. He'd never met Cy's grandfather, but he knew that he and his son - Ruben Xavier, Cy's dad - didn't get along all that well. Cy's dad was all serious and a pain in the ass when it came to Cy's interests, while his grandfather actually shared most of them and encouraged Cy to do all these things his father had something against. It was kind of hard to believe Mr Xavier would let his son spend multiple days or even weeks with that guy.</p><p>"Yeah, Mom may have helped just a little bit", Cy said, amused now. "And I shouldn't get any mediocre grades during that time, or Dad would freak even more than usual. But it's <em>so</em> gonna be worth it, I'm telling you." Cy's eyes lit up, and his smile, too, became wider than it already was. "And I still haven't introduced you to my grandpa, dude! You should totally come along when my mom's driving me over after school. He's not gonna be nearly as awful as my dad back at the <em>Lotus</em>."</p><p>Goob grimaced at the memory. Yeah, Mr Xavier hadn't been the nicest company during their meeting at that overly fancy restaurant, especially with how nonchalantly he'd accused Goob's dad of faking his - very real - depression. But then, Goob had wound up talking to him in private, and he'd discovered some strange things about Cy's father. And about his grandfather, too. He and Goob's own one had known each other.... and, if Goob was right with his assumptions, Cy's had been heartbroken when Kenneth had died. With all that in mind, he really didn't know if it was such a good idea to show up at that guy's place. How would Cy's grandfather react, seeing his and Kenneth's grandsons together like that?</p><p>"Sorry", Cy cut off his thoughts, sounding genuinely apologetic. "Didn't want to remind you of that mess, dude."</p><p>"Whatever", Goob said in return, knowing his friend would get the message and not be too worried about his exasperated tone. The problem wasn't just that Cy's grandpa might have some sort of weird reaction to meeting him, it was also that Cy himself had no idea about any of the stuff that had gone down at the <em>Lotus</em> between him and Mr Xavier. And Goob couldn't let him find out either, because he'd promised the lawyer to keep all of his assumptions a secret. And making that guy mad was the last thing he wanted to do.</p><p>Still, he knew Cy had been looking forward to introducing him to his grandpa for ages, and he hated imagining the disappointed look on his friend's face if he told him he didn't want to meet that guy after all. He couldn't do that to him, could he?</p><p><em>Guess I love Cy more than I fear his dad</em>, Goob thought with an internal sigh, then forced himself to smile. "But yeah, I'd love to come along. I'm sure it'll be fun."</p><p>Now he could only hope he wasn't <em>too</em> wrong about that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The rest of the school day went by just about how Goob had expected it to. He stayed by Cy's side whenever he could, even during the interview with Chaz that Cy somehow managed to get through without even a hint of irritation. There were a lot of people who wanted to sign his cast too, obviously, and Cy let every single one of them do it. He reserved some spots for his bandmates, of course, and Rud spent most of their lunch break drawing portraits of the four of them onto the cast because it wasn't like Cy's dad would actually get to see that thing. Three of those portraits, anyway - Goob insisted on drawing his one himself, no matter how shitty it looked compared to the art of his friend. Cy loved it regardless, he assured him, sounding so genuine that Goob decided to believe him this time.</p>
<p>Then it was afternoon, and Goob joined Cy on his walk back to the street by the school's entrance. His bandmate had figured out how to work with the crutch by now, but Goob couldn't exactly share his confidence. What was Cy's grandfather going to think about him? And Cy's mother, too. Their phone conversation hadn't exactly been a good first impression on Goob's part.</p>
<p>"At least you won't have to worry about appearances with either of them", Cy told him as they waited for his mom to arrive. "They both know about the band - the real one, I mean, not what we pretended to be back at the <em>Lotus</em> -, so you can totally leave your hood on and all. They aren't gonna mind."</p>
<p>"I hope so", Goob sighed, just as some expensive-looking silver car pulled over nearby and he could tell from Cy's sudden movement that it had to be their ride. It looked more practical than showy, which was kind of a relief, but his heart was still beating awfully loudly as he followed his friend over to it. His interactions with Cy's family had kind of been a mess so far, after all.</p>
<p>The woman in the driver's seat watched them through a scrolled-down window, apparently debating on whether she should help her son into the car or not and then deciding against it when she saw how Goob was already handling that just fine. She didn't look all that much like Cy, he thought - her hair was short and a lighter shade of brown, her eyes were blue, and even their other facial features didn't match up that well. That meant Cy really had gotten most of his looks from his father, and Goob couldn't say he enjoyed the thought of that.</p>
<p>"Hey, Mom", Cy greeted her now, easing himself into one of the backseats after Goob had opened the door for him. "Thanks for picking us up."</p>
<p>"I don't recall there being an <em>us</em> when we discussed this yesterday", the woman replied, and Goob recognized the voice from the phone call two days ago. <em>Pleasure to meet you too</em>, he thought, but of course, he knew he had to at least try to be nice.</p>
<p>"Cyrus said I could come along to his grandfather's today", he explained, deciding not to offer Cy's mother his hand right now because he was still standing outside the car and that'd have been pretty awkward to pull off. "I'm -"</p>
<p>The woman nodded at him before he could finish his sentence. "Goob, right? I believe we've talked before."</p>
<p>"Yeah, uh, that was me." He remembered the weirdness of that whole conversation, and at the same time, really hoped <em>she</em> didn't. "But my real name's Magnus, the other one is just kind of a band thing."</p>
<p>Cy's mother rolled her eyes behind the sleek business glasses she was wearing, almost sounding amused. "So? I'm not my husband, I can handle whatever shenanigans kids are up to these days." She actually cracked a smile at him. "Sylvia Bennett. Now get in before Ruben changes his mind."</p>
<p>"Thanks", Goob said, hurrying to the other backseat before she could change hers. She started driving the second he'd closed the door behind him, but he decided not to say anything. He was lucky enough that she really didn't seem to mind his hoodie, after all.</p>
<p>Instead, he thought about how she had introduced herself. Shouldn't she have picked up Mr Xavier's last name if they'd gotten married?</p>
<p>"My parents aren't <em> exactly</em> married", Cy told him as if he'd read his mind. "It's kind of a law thing. Their status is whatever's getting them the most financial benefits in a situation."</p>
<p>"Might as well use the loopholes in the system", his mother put in, not sounding too bitter about that whole reveal. "You'll understand what I mean when you're older, believe me." She paused, looking at Goob through the mirror. "So, what exactly is your role in that band of yours?"</p>
<p>It took Goob a moment to reply to that sudden change in topic, but then he decided he might as well be honest. "I play bass", he said. "And do the backing vocals sometimes."</p>
<p>"Ah. Leaving the main ones to Cyrus, I see."</p>
<p>"He's far better at that than the rest of us", Goob replied, not really sure who he was trying to defend here. Cy? Himself?</p>
<p>Cy's mother, at least, accepted the answer, as far as he could tell. "He has always enjoyed singing", she recalled now. "And his father didn't mind either, in the beginning. But no, now that Cyrus doesn't <em>need</em> to sing anymore, he'd rather have him stop entirely. Because keeping someone away from their passions is always such a great thing to do. As long as he still gets good grades, what's the problem? Seriously."</p>
<p>She was talking more to herself than to him at this point, so Goob turned to look at Cy instead, who shot him a kind of apologetic glance in return. He actually seemed just a little uncomfortable for once, so he probably wouldn't appreciate Goob's next move… but there was a question on his mind that he really couldn't stop himself from asking. "What do you mean, Cy ‘needed' to sing?"</p>
<p>His friend's mother glanced at him through the mirror again, as if she'd briefly forgotten she had company. "Oh, did he never tell you?", she asked eventually. "Cyrus used to have a lisp in his early childhood. The SLP recommended singing as a way to get rid of it, but Ruben insisted that was all it was good for. And he's the one who has had full custody of Cyrus ever since I started working abroad, so he gets to decide matters like that, for better or worse."</p>
<p>Goob gave his bandmate a surprised look. He hadn't known about the custody part; he'd always been under the impression that Cy's mom just wasn't around all that much. But giving his jerk of a father full custody was a logical consequence of that, he supposed.</p>
<p>Cy made a face Goob couldn't quite read, then shrugged. His voice had kind of a weird sound to it. "Guess I didn't bother telling anyone about the lisp thing because it's kinda the lamest rock star origin story ever. Don't wanna be the guy known for discovering the power of rock and roll through speech therapy."</p>
<p>"Guess so", Goob agreed with a snort he only partly actually meant. Was Cy okay? It was a weird thing to wonder about, because normally, between the two of them, it was Cy asking that question, not him. And he couldn't really word it aloud, not with Cy's mother being right there with them. "I had no idea, dude", he said in the end, trying to sound as casual as possible. "You really can't hear a trace of it these days."</p>
<p>"Yeah, it was pretty much gone after elementary", Cy replied, cracking a smile again. "Grandpa still has a bit of his, actually. So I suppose you'd have found out soon anyway."</p>
<p>"Your first time meeting Virgil?", his mom asked from the front, her tone making it pretty obvious that Cy wasn't the only one who had no idea about any kind of deeper Xavier-Goober backstory. "He's alright, really. Kind of eccentric, but far less of a bore than his son can be."</p>
<p>Cy didn't react to that with anything more than rolling his eyes in exasperation, something his mom luckily didn't seem to notice. She looked kind of distracted anyway, pulling over once again but not bothering to stop the engine.</p>
<p>"There", she said. "I left your things in the trunk. Greet your grandfather from me, will you?"</p>
<p>To Goob's relief, Cy seemed just as startled by that tone as he was, at least to some extent. "Aren't you at least gonna say hello?"</p>
<p>His mother just scoffed. "Someone here has to show your father how to take care of my plants in the next few weeks. They aren't going to water themselves, you know."</p>
<p>"Yeah, I know. You'll have me for that stuff again once the cast is off." Cy sounded calmer again, smiling at his mom and at the same time reaching for his crutch.</p>
<p>Goob got the cue and left the car so he could pick up Cy's bag from the trunk and help his friend get out as well, so he didn't get to hear more of the conversation other than the final goodbyes Cy and his mother exchanged. Goob said some awkward words in that direction himself, and he was kind of relieved when the woman eventually drove off.</p>
<p>Cy, sure enough, could read his expression perfectly well. "She takes some time getting used to, I know. But she really isn't all that bad."</p>
<p>"I guess", Goob replied, then remembered what he'd just heard his friend say. "So you take care of the stuff at her place when she's not in town?"</p>
<p>His friend nodded. "Yeah. I don't mind, really - someone's gotta do it and she pays pretty well." His expression lit up, just like always when he had an epiphany of some sort. "Hey, maybe we should start doing it together! So you can earn yourself some easy money too."</p>
<p>"I don't know anything about flowers, dude", Goob put in, although the offer really was pretty tempting. It wasn't like he was making all that much money otherwise. "I'll think about it, okay?"</p>
<p>"Okay", Cy said, fully back in his typical cheerful mood. "Now let's go say hi to Grandpa, huh?"</p>
<p>"Oh. Yeah." Suddenly, all of Goob's dread about whatever his presence might cause for that guy was back, but he tried his best not to let Cy see it. Instead, he looked around, taking in wherever Cy's mother had dropped them off.</p>
<p>It wasn't a part of the city Goob recognized, but then again, he didn't exactly get around all that much. There were actual houses here, like in the area Cy lived in, but unlike there, the ones here actually looked… affordable, for one. And less like mansions and more like small suburb cottages. It was kind of nice, honestly, and Goob instinctively relaxed a little again.</p>
<p>"How are you gonna get to school?", he asked now. The cottage right ahead of them had a lot of things in the front yard - flowers, bushes, rocks arranged in a kind of artsy way -, but no car as far as he could see. And Cy's grandfather was probably too old to drive anyway.</p>
<p>"Taxi, I suppose", Cy said with a mild shrug as he led the way to the building's door. "My mom's just gonna call this evening and then head off to who knows where again, and Dad isn't gonna bother. And it's too far to walk, of course."</p>
<p>He didn't leave Goob time to reply, because his hand was already on the doorbell and Goob didn't want to say anything while his friend's grandfather was opening the door. So he just nodded… and waited, bracing himself for whatever was going to happen next.</p>
<p>Nothing did, for about half a minute or so, and Goob was just about to wonder whether Cy's grandpa was even home when the door was opened at last.</p>
<p>Standing there was a man in what Goob supposed to be his late seventies, with a silvery gray mane of hair very similar to Cy's. A lot about him was similar to Cy, Goob thought: his smallish size, his warm brown eyes, his general features… and his love for vests, apparently, although the man was wearing a variety of them at once, both loose ones and tighter ones, which kind of made him look like some wizard straight from a fantasy movie. But at the same time, it really wasn't hard to imagine that Cy was going to end up looking exactly like that one day.</p>
<p>"<em>Engonós!</em>", the man exclaimed now, in a cheery tone very much like his grandson's usual one and indeed with the hint of a lisp. He was only addressing Cy, it seemed, and Goob was glad about that - he could guess that was Greek, but he really didn't speak a word of that language. "So good to see you, Cyrus. How have you been? Your father already told me about your accident - that cast isn't too much of a bother, is it?"</p>
<p>"Hey, <em>pappoús</em>", Cy replied, and Goob could hear how delighted he was to see his grandfather as well. Somehow, his friend managed to give the man a brief hug even with the crutch in hand, and he was still virtually beaming after letting go again. "Yeah, I'm alright. Starting to get the hang of that thing and all. Oh, and Mom says hi." Then, he turned his head in a certain direction. "This is my friend Goob, by the way. One of the coolest people I know."</p>
<p>Goob only narrowly managed to stop himself from awkwardly freezing. Sure, Cy didn't know about the whole shared family backstory deal, but did he really have to word it like that? With a smile that couldn't quite hide his nervousness, he offered Cy's grandpa his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr Xavier."</p>
<p>The man returned the gesture, and as he did, their eyes met - his brown ones and Goob's heterochromatic ones, one brown, one blue. A trait he shared with his grandfather, Kenneth. Cy's grandfather's old best friend.</p>
<p>Mr Xavier realized that too, of course. Goob saw a lot of things in his eyes now, in this brief moment they spent staring at each other - recognition, most of all. Shock. Astonishment. So many conflicting emotions all at once. But the man didn't settle on any of them, at least not right now. "Call me Virgil, boy", was all he said, a little startled but otherwise casual. As much as Goob's presence had caught him off guard, he still sounded genuinely kind, so Goob didn't hesitate as the man gestured him and Cyrus inside.</p>
<p>The interior of the cottage reminded Goob a lot of Cy's room, all earthy colors and open spaces, but unlike his grandson, Virgil Xavier didn't hide any of his more obscure interests. Just at first glance, Goob spotted several figurines and paintings of stuff he vaguely remembered from Greek mythology, as well as a strange guitar-like string instrument leaning against a wall. <em>Guess that's what a bouzouki looks like</em>, he thought, remembering something Cy had told him about before.</p>
<p>"I'll get you two something to drink", Virgil announced now, heading off into what Goob supposed was probably the kitchen. "I stocked up on aronia juice just earlier today - your favorite, isn't it, Cyrus?"</p>
<p>"Yeah - thanks for remembering, Grandpa", Cy replied with that particular kind of excited tone Goob loved hearing so much. His friend gestured to him to just put the bag with his belongings wherever, and at the same time made himself comfortable on the couch in the living room. It was one of those couches that extended on one end, so Cy got to stretch out his legs there and everything.</p>
<p>Goob debated on joining him, but then something else caught his eye. On the wall behind the couch, Virgil had put up a variety of framed photographs, both ones in color and ones in black-and-white. Goob kind of didn't want to take a closer look, too scared of what he might find, but eventually, his curiosity got the better of him.</p>
<p>They were family pictures; that was the first thing he noticed. All of them had Cy in them, throughout various phases of his childhood, and sometimes he was joined by one or both of his parents or his grandfather, or, in very rare cases, all three of them. None of the photographs were particularly formal; even in those with his parents, everyone seemed to be having a good time… although, of course, Ruben Xavier still never entirely lost his serious aura in any of them.</p>
<p>The black-and-white images were of Cy and his father too, at least at first glance. But then Goob noticed that it was the kid looking just a little less casual than the adult instead of the other way around… and he realized those were pictures of Virgil and Ruben, not Cy. They only looked so jarringly similar that he'd confused them at first.</p>
<p>"Strange, huh?", Cy asked. He'd turned around on the couch, sort of, and now he was looking at all those photos as well. "And kind of funny. You probably wouldn't be able to tell us apart if he hadn't already looked so stiff back in the day."</p>
<p>"Yeah." Goob kept looking at those images, strangely fascinated by all of them. But he couldn't help but tense up ever so slightly when his friend kept on talking.</p>
<p>"It's too bad Grandpa doesn't have any pictures of Dad in, like, his late teens though. You know, to get myself a glimpse of my future. Guess they all turned out pretty lame or something."</p>
<p><em>Or they didn't take any</em>, Goob thought grimly. The photographs only went up to when Ruben had been about Cy's age, then there was nothing all the way until his friend had been born. And it was easy enough to guess why.</p>
<p>The moment the photographs stopped was exactly when Kenneth had died.</p>
<p>Sure enough, his late grandfather wasn't in any of those photographs, although Goob wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed about that. He had kind of hoped to catch a glimpse of Kenneth, at least.</p>
<p>"You okay?", Cy asked him, and Goob forced himself to loosen up again. He knew that if his friend found out about all of this, and if Ruben Xavier found out about <em>that</em>, then it was him, Goob, who'd get into trouble for it. Or his dad, since Cy's couldn't stand him. And that was something he really didn't want to risk.</p>
<p>So all he did was nod. "It's just a bit jarring. Seeing your dad like that."</p>
<p>"I can imagine." That was Virgil, who now returned from the kitchen with a tray that not only carried their drinks, but a box full of cookies as well, Goob noticed as he set it down on the table. The man was watching him again, too, but focused his gaze on the photos instead as soon as their eyes briefly met. "Ruben didn't exactly grow up to be the most likable person, I know. But he still has all that old joy inside him, you just have to get him to show it." Virgil smiled, sitting down in an armchair and still gazing at the photographs. "Which is exactly why I preserved all of these. Everyone's best sides."</p>
<p>Goob nodded again, briefly thanking him for the cookies and reaching for one as soon as he saw Cy do the same. He was just about to say something when Virgil spoke up once more.</p>
<p>"Such as Cyrus's third grade photo, for example. Over there."</p>
<p>Stunned, Goob followed his gaze to an image he actually hadn't noticed up to now, depicting about a dozen kids, all of which he recognized. Brad, Steve, Irwin… they really hadn't changed all that much over the years. And Cy hadn't either, Goob realized, unable to stop himself from cracking a smile. His friend's hair was shorter than it was now, but he was already wearing a white tank top and making the sign of the horns with both of his hands. "Your dad let you do that?", he asked Cy.</p>
<p>"I wish." Cy had stared at the photo as well, but now he turned back around to relax on the couch. "That was the last time I got to. And probably what made him decide I should stop being so into music, with it ruining my professionalism and all." He sounded pretty neutral about it, as if he'd come to terms with it long ago.</p>
<p>All this talk about school photos made Goob realize something though. Something that hadn't occurred to him until now. "What are <em>we</em> gonna do about those photos now?", he asked his friend. "In the yearbooks, Skeeter and I look like we always do. What if your dad notices?"</p>
<p>"Doubt it", Cy said, still sounding calm and reaching for another cookie as he talked. "He really doesn't care about the yearbook and only looks at whatever pages I show him. And none of you guys are on the same page as I am, so we're good, really." He went quiet for a moment, then looked at his grandfather. "Say, do you still have Dad's yearbooks around? I wanna check something."</p>
<p>Goob could guess what his friend was interested in, and he saw that Virgil could as well. Still, the man acted oblivious, at least for now. "Those are all over at your place, I think. What did you want to look up?"</p>
<p>Cy shot Goob a quick glance. "Dad told me a while back that he was classmates with Goob's", he explained, far more upbeat than he had any reason to be. "I mean, what kind of neat coincidence is that?"</p>
<p>Virgil didn't reply; instead, he raised both of his eyebrows at Goob, his expression kind of concerned. Just as if asking, "Should we tell him?"</p>
<p>Should they? Goob hesitated. Ruben Xavier's threat was still on his mind; all the things the man could be doing to him or his dad if he broke his promise and let anything slip. And yet… Cy's grandfather was right here with him, wasn't he? The lawyer couldn't really hold anything against Goob if it wasn't technically <em>him</em> who told Cy about all of this. But that would also mean forcing Virgil to think about Kenneth again, even more than he probably already did, and Goob didn't exactly want to do that to him.</p>
<p>Virgil sensed his hesitation… but he wasn't the only one. "What's wrong?", Cy asked, seemingly not just Goob, but his grandpa as well. He didn't sound as enthusiastic as just moments ago, but suspicious, because clearly he could tell <em>something</em> was going on. His gaze shifted between Goob and Virgil, waiting for the explanation Goob didn't know how to give.</p>
<p>"Your fathers weren't the only ones", Virgil said in the end, and Goob caught his quick glance in his direction. "I can handle this", it seemed to say, making him wonder if that was true. And if, just maybe, he wouldn't even have to let Cy know that he knew about all of this already.</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" Cy really was only looking at his grandfather now, so Goob decided to roll with it and remained silent for the time being.</p>
<p>Virgil gave them both a weary smile. "Kenneth and I were friends as well."</p>
<p>"Kenneth?"</p>
<p>"My grandfather", Goob somehow managed to put in. Hopefully, Cy would blame the sudden tension in his voice on being just as taken aback as he was. "I don't really know much about him."</p>
<p>Virgil nodded. "He died a long time ago, that's true." With a sigh, he heaved himself out of his armchair, heading off into another room. "Hang on, I have something to show you two."</p>
<p>The second he was gone, Cy turned to Goob, his expression some sort of concerned confusion. "I didn't know about your grandfather."</p>
<p>"And I didn't know about your lisp", Goob countered. "Really, Cy, it's no big deal. I never met him, after all."</p>
<p>"Still sucks to hear about." Cy hesitated. "How did he -"</p>
<p>"Car crash", Goob immediately cut him off, and couldn't help but look away from his friend. No matter what he'd just said, of course Kenneth's fate affected him. How couldn't it? "An accident. That's what they call it, anyway. You know."</p>
<p>Cy fell silent for a moment, not seeming to know what to say. But his face kind of told Goob everything already.</p>
<p>"It's probably worse for your grandpa", Goob muttered, and then he and Cy both awkwardly said nothing until Virgil returned. The man was carrying a folder of some sort - no, a photo album, Goob realized with his mouth going dry. He could guess well enough what kind of pictures were in there. "You don't have to -", he started, but shut himself up when Virgil shook his head.</p>
<p>"If the Fates brought the two of you together, then you deserve to see this." He sat down again, handing Goob the album as he did. Shooting him the same weary smile Goob saw on Cy sometimes, but with all the more… age in it. That was the only way he could describe it.</p>
<p>Goob swallowed hard, exchanged a glance with Cy, and opened the album flat on the table so all of them could see.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Goob's breath caught the second he saw the first picture.</p><p>It was a black-and-white image, naturally, depicting two kids about the age he and Cy were now. One of those kids almost could've <em>been</em> Cyrus; they looked so alike that Goob really would have mistaken it as a picture of his friend if he hadn't known any better. Aside from the way out of style outfit, anyway.</p><p>Then his eyes settled on the other kid, the one with shortish hair lighter than Virgil's, who was kind of blurry in the photo because he must have moved when they'd taken it. His expression, too, looked like he didn't appreciate being photographed, at least from what Goob could tell with that blur. It was jarring to see, honestly, how well all the facial features matched up… even if the kid's eyes were hidden behind a pair of shades, a model that really had to be from the early days of that invention. Goob didn't need to see those eyes to know what colors they were - one brown, one blue.</p><p><em>Kenneth Goober</em>, he thought, unable to take his own eyes off the picture. <em>My grandfather.</em> He was feeling far too many emotions right now to put any of them into words, so he was glad when Cy took care of that.</p><p>"Whoa", his friend uttered, and then, after a pause: "Just like back in ninth grade."</p><p>"Yeah", Goob agreed, remembering the early days of the band. Back then, after all that bullying he'd gone through in his previous schools, he'd worn shades to hide his eyes as well. He'd only stopped when Skeeter had joined the band… or rather, when he'd gotten unreasonably jealous of Skeeter in the beginning and had nearly made him quit again as a result. But then they'd reconciled and Goob had decided to gift him his shades as some sort of symbolic apology, and Skeeter hadn't stopped wearing them since. And Goob hadn't gotten too many shitty comments about his eyes either, but that was partly because most of his classmates thought he was wearing a single colored contact in one of them as a part of the band's aesthetic. Hearing them argue about which one was his natural eye color was actually kind of hilarious these days.</p><p>But of course, Kenneth hadn't quite reached that point, at least not in this photo Goob still couldn't take his eyes off of.</p><p>"He never left home without those things", Virgil explained now, his voice indicating that he was somewhere else with his thoughts. And it wasn't hard to guess where exactly. "Of course, that kind of made him even more of an outsider than he already was… but at least it was also intriguing, in a way. I was the bigger outcast between the two of us, really. I would never have talked to him if he hadn't been so fond of my music."</p><p>Goob exchanged a glance with Cy again, a particular memory resurfacing for them both. "It was the opposite for us", Cy told his grandfather. "I just happened to notice Goob playing his guitar one day."</p><p>"And Kenneth loved my bouzouki", Virgil recalled wistfully. "He would listen to me whenever I played it in the schoolyard during a break. But we never actually talked, not until weeks later."</p><p>"And then you became best friends", Goob said. Cy's grandpa nodded at that, and so he decided to turn the page in the photo album. There was only one picture on every page, allowing him to fully take them all in.</p><p>The next couple of photographs were still from Virgil and Kenneth's teenage years, but they really did turn a little older in every one of them. It was weird to see them grow up like that, because it was all too likely he and Cy would end up looking just like them eventually, although Goob was too distracted to really care. Too busy staring at the images of his grandfather, who had eventually discarded his shades during his 20s and was now starting to look more and more like Goob's dad. And Virgil was starting to look like Cy's father, too, or at least like a weirdly unintriguing version of him.</p><p>As emotional as it made him to finally connect with his grandfather like this, Goob also couldn't help glancing at the dates written under all of the photographs. He hadn't told Cy when exactly Kenneth had died, but the dread piled up inside him the closer they got to 1986. Especially because Virgil, who had kept sharing his memories with Kenneth over the course of the images, was talking so fondly about all of them that Goob really didn't want to reach the end. For the sake of them both.</p><p>"I was never really interested in long-term relationships", Virgil explained, now that they had reached the 70s. There weren't as many pictures a year anymore, likely because he and Kenneth had both started being busy with parenting. "Ruben's mother and I parted ways early on, so I was the only one raising him ever since. Much like him and you, Cyrus, although I suppose your time with both of your parents lasted a little while longer."</p><p>"Guess so", Cy replied, still staring at the currently opened page of the album. Goob was doing the same - at this point, Virgil and Kenneth looked so much like Ruben and Goob's father Darren that he was reminded of how little Cy's dad could stand his. And of what could have been instead.</p><p>Cy turned a couple more pages, the date in the corner becoming more and more recent. Even now, after all these years, the most Goob had seen Kenneth do in these images was smile ever so slightly, but he couldn't really hold it against him. Without selfies being invented yet, he probably wouldn't have looked much different.</p><p>The next photograph was from 1985, and Goob instinctively tensed up a little bit. Just looking at the picture - Virgil beaming into the camera with an arm around Kenneth's shoulders, who was still wearing all black and seemingly rolling his eyes in mocked annoyance -, you really couldn't tell what was going to happen just a few months later. Of course you couldn't.</p><p>Cy hadn't yet realized anything of the sort; he only mimicked Goob's tenseness when he turned the page again and was met with an entirely blank one. Even he, by now, could guess what that meant.</p><p>"The rest is silence", Virgil mused, a weary sadness in his voice that broke Goob's heart to hear. Was there anything he should - or could, even - say in return?</p><p>"The car crash was the year after that last photo", he told Cy in the end, and was kind of surprised he still managed to talk at all, as big as the lump in his throat was.</p><p>Cy nodded, although the motion actually seemed more like he was generally rocking back and forth. "I can't believe it, man", he muttered. "That people can just… really be gone like that all of a sudden."</p><p>"Things like that happen, <em>engonós</em>", Virgil said. "Accidents or… well, those that aren't." With a heavy sigh, he reached forward to take the photo album again. "And all you can do is find a way to live with it. No matter how hard it is." Virgil closed the album and remained in that position for a moment, closing his eyes. "And, if you're like me, know that one day, when it's time, you'll see each other again."</p><p><em>Guess that's what believing in an underworld can be good for</em>, Goob thought, holding back the tears he really didn't want Cy or his grandpa to see. "I'm sure he can't wait either", he managed to say, even if he could tell how lame it sounded.</p><p>Virgil didn't seem to mind. "And then I'll finally find out what really happened that day", he added, more to himself than anything.</p><p><em>So he doesn't know whether or not it really was an accident either</em>, Goob realized in both relief and disappointment. If not even Cy's grandfather knew, nobody did. Nobody but Kenneth himself.</p><p>Eventually, after several more seconds in which neither Goob nor Cy dared to say anything, Virgil opened his eyes again and rose out of his armchair. He still sounded a little off, but determined all the same. "Ah well. Now, let's get this thing back where it belongs." He took a few steps with the photo album in hand, then glanced over his shoulder to meet Goob's eyes. "Are you coming?"</p><p>"Oh, uh, sure." A little startled, Goob got up as well, but when Cy made a move to do the same, his grandfather shook his head.</p><p>"Rest your leg, Cyrus. This won't take long. But in the meantime, you could warm up a bit with the bouzouki. I'm sure your friend would love to hear you play." Virgil grabbed the guitar-like instrument leaning against a nearby wall and handed it to Cy, who still looked a little taken aback but nodded eventually.</p><p>"Sure thing, Grandpa."</p><p>Cy started strumming a few chords, but Goob didn't get to hear a lot of them because Virgil urged him out of the room with a hand on his shoulder. Cy's dad had done the same thing before, though it wasn't nearly as terrifying when Virgil did it. Still, Goob wasn't sure whether he was ready for whatever was going to happen next.</p><p>"You knew about all this before today, didn't you?", Virgil asked. His voice was quiet, but more curious than mad.</p><p>"Yeah", Goob admitted. "Cy's dad told me. That you and Kenneth were friends and all."</p><p>Virgil nodded, sighing. "Poor Ruben. He had to grow up far too quickly because of what Kenneth's death did to me."</p><p>He didn't say anything after that, but Goob didn't ask him to elaborate. After everything he'd witnessed back at the <em>Lotus</em>, he could put the pieces together well enough. Apparently, his guesses back then hadn't been too far off after all.</p><p>He couldn't help but feel a stab of pity for Cy's dad all of a sudden. With his own firsthand experience, he could imagine well enough in what horrible state Virgil had been after his best friend's passing. And if Ruben really had grown up with only him as a parent… those next few years must have been awful, to say the least.</p><p><em>But that doesn't excuse him being a jerk to Cy or my family</em>, Goob thought grimly. Or did it? Maybe he hadn't bought whatever he'd noticed about Goob's dad's depression at school because he was used to so much worse at home. Mr Xavier liked thinking in black-and-white, Goob knew.</p><p>He found himself petrified by that possibility, by how much sense it all made. Had he just completely decoded Cy's father? But even then, that was just an explanation, not an excuse. It didn't actually justify him being such a pain in the ass.</p><p>"Why didn't you two ever tell Cy?", Goob asked. He sounded more frustrated than confused, he realized, but he had plenty of reasons to. "Maybe then he wouldn't have to put up with all this bullshit from his dad."</p><p>He hadn't meant to cuss, and immediately felt bad about it afterwards. This was Cy's grandpa he was talking to, for crying out loud; he couldn't just say stuff like that whenever he felt like it.</p><p>To his relief, though, Virgil didn't seem offended. "Someday", the man assured him. "I'd love to, believe me. But Ruben… he'd rather wait until after high school. To spare Cyrus such troubles in his own teenage years, as ironic as it is."</p><p>"But -", Goob began, then stopped himself when Virgil shook his head.</p><p>"This is up to my son, not me. You would have to talk to him about this."</p><p>Before Goob could think of an appropriate thing to reply to that, Virgil led him into another room of the cottage - his bedroom, in fact, which didn't have much in it other than a bed and several cupboards. One of them had a big shelf at just about Virgil's eye level, with a sort of retractable door at the top. It was open already, probably because Virgil had retrieved the photo album earlier, but Goob wasn't sure whether he had the right to take a look, so he didn't. Instead, he waited until Cy's grandfather had put the album back into place… and saw the man picking up something else instead. Something he handed to Goob now.</p><p>It was another framed photograph, but different from the ones up to now. It was more of a portrait than anything, only depicting Kenneth… in a way Goob hadn't seen him before. He must have been somewhere in his early 20s when the picture had been taken, already without his shades and not just cracking a smile, but smiling for real, with a look in his eyes that reminded Goob of his own feelings for Cy. The one that came down to "thanks for putting up with me no matter how awful I am sometimes".</p><p>More than that, unlike the other ones, this photo was in color, so Goob really got to see those brown and blue eyes Kenneth shared with him. And the hair, and the skin color, and everything else; just as if someone had travelled forward in time and taken a picture of Goob himself. It was too much to bear, too much to ignore anymore, and so Goob couldn't hold back his tears any longer.</p><p>Virgil put a hand on his shoulder again, and when Goob blinked at him, he saw that Cy's grandfather, too, had wet eyes by now. His voice trembled just a little bit, but more than anything, it was warm and immensely comforting to listen to. "He would never look anywhere close to that on the pictures I took with him. He kind of hated them, really, but he put up with them in the end because he knew how much I cared about preserving our times together. And this one… he gifted it to me on my birthday one year. He'd saved up for months to afford a professional shooting, colors and all. So I would have a picture of him that actually captured what he wanted me to see."</p><p>Goob nodded, unable to actually say anything. They remained that way for a while, just looking at that photo of Kenneth that neither of them could really get enough of, but then, eventually, Goob used the sleeve of his hoodie to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Thank you for showing me this."</p><p>"Thank <em>you</em> for being Cyrus's friend", Virgil replied, smiling wearily as he gently took the photo from Goob's hands and placed it back on the shelf. "He talks about you a lot, actually. I was wondering when we would finally get to meet." He paused for a moment as he pulled down the shelf's cover again, then met Goob's eyes. "You really are a lot like him."</p><p>That last part was about Kenneth, of course. It reminded Goob of what Cy's father had told him back at the <em>Lotus</em>: <em>You share your eyes with your grandfather. But I strongly suggest you don't share his fate, for your sake and Cyrus's.</em> He swallowed hard, both at the memory and at Virgil's words, then nodded again. "I'll try keeping it to the good parts."</p><p>Virgil closed his eyes as he smiled to himself for a moment, then gestured to Goob to head back to the living room with him. "Speaking of good parts. Let's not leave Cyrus waiting much longer, huh? I'm sure he is very eager to show you what the bouzouki can do, even if it isn't your typical electric guitar." He chuckled when he saw Goob's surprised expression. "What? I listen to your band's music, of course. No matter if it isn't exactly my favorite genre."</p><p>"Thanks, I guess", Goob said awkwardly, and found himself thinking about the evening at the <em>Lotus</em> yet again. They'd performed <em>Cherry</em> back there, a song that, apparently, had made Cy's dad all emotional about the years after Kenneth's death. If Virgil actually listened to the DoD… did he know the song as well? Did it remind him of Kenneth?</p><p>Goob didn't get to ask, because now they'd reached the living room again, where Cy was stopping his playing and smiling over to them. "I think I'm warmed up enough now. Ready when you guys are."</p><p>He didn't ask what they'd talked about without him, which Goob was incredibly glad about. He sat down next to Cy again, and Virgil, too, occupied his armchair once more.</p><p>"How about the <em>First Delphic Hymn to Apollo</em>?", Cy's grandfather asked. "That was the song I played the day Kenneth first stopped by to listen, actually. The one that started it all."</p><p>Cy shot Goob a quick glance. "Then I'd love to play it for you, Grandpa." He paused for a moment, adjusted the position of his fingers… and started his song. </p><p>Goob was more or less familiar with his friend's non-rock music already, from his acoustic guitar at the <em>Lotus</em> and the time Cy had played a hauntingly slow track on his electric guitar for him. But this was different from those two guitars; this was a bouzouki, an instrument sounding about as ancient as the song Cy was playing on it. It was basically <em>made</em> for this kind of music, and Goob knew that if he'd just close his eyes, his mind would take him to a time and a place he'd never been to before.</p><p>Virgil, sure enough, was feeling the same way. He really had closed his eyes, swaying to the music, and it was easy enough to guess where exactly he was with his memories. For a moment, Goob's eyes met Cy's again, because of course they were sharing that thought.</p><p>But Goob, at the same time, had another one. From what he'd learned about Cy's family, today and otherwise, Virgil really didn't have a lot of people he was close to. His relationship with his son was rocky at best, especially after losing Kenneth… maybe it wasn't just Cy who needed Virgil as a person to share all his passions with. Maybe the same was true the other way around.</p><p>Had Cy had that realization as well? Goob had no idea. But he was glad Cy shared such a bond with his grandfather… and that he himself kind of got to be a part of it too. So he allowed himself to put all of his lingering grimness regarding Kenneth aside and just let himself enjoy Cy's music.</p><p>Eventually, after who knew how many minutes, that so-called hymn came to an end. A few seconds later, Virgil snapped out of his trance as well, still smiling in a way that reminded Goob far too much of Cy. "<em>Brávo</em>", he said. "Well done, Cyrus. I couldn't have played it better myself."</p><p>"Well, I had the best teacher", Cy replied with the same expression. "Just a shame Goob and I didn't bring our guitars along, or we could've shown you some of our stuff too."</p><p>"Hey, you'll be staying here for a while, won't you?", Goob put in. "I can always just come over another time. Then we can catch up on stuff like that."</p><p>Now Virgil's smile was meant for him only. "I sure wouldn't mind. How are you going to get home today?"</p><p>"Oh, uh -" Startled by that question, Goob instinctively glanced over at a small clock Virgil had put on a shelf. He hadn't realized it was already getting this late. "I don't know, actually. This was kind of a spontaneous thing. And my mom's home, but Dad's got the car and all."</p><p>Virgil just nodded at that. "You can call a taxi, if you'd like. I'll assume the costs."</p><p>"Really?", Goob asked. "I mean. Thanks. I'll do that." He was about to get up to grab his phone when Virgil already reached for the landline and did it for him. So Goob eased himself back into the couch to finish drinking his juice before he looked at Cy again. "Sorry, dude. But I probably really should go now. Don't wanna get Mom worried, or be like Skeeter and have my homework pile up too much."</p><p>Cy snorted. "Don't worry, I get that. But I'm gonna do what Grandpa said and rest my leg, so I should probably say this now already. See you tomorrow, man. And thanks for coming here with me."</p><p>"Sure thing", Goob replied, flashing him another smile. "Later, Cy." He got up and grabbed his bag again, heading for the door. Whenever the taxi was gonna arrive, he didn't really want to leave the driver waiting.</p><p>Virgil followed him there, he noticed early on, but they didn't actually talk for several minutes, not until the taxi showed up. That was when Virgil stepped closer to him, placing something in his hand that Goob recognized as a hundred dollar bill. He stared at it, eyes wide - he'd never held such a big amount of money before -, but Cy's grandfather chuckled. "Keep the change", the man said. "You deserve it. Oh, and - greet your father from me, will you? I know we've never been close, but… I'm always around if he needs someone to talk about Kenneth with. Or about whatever else is on his mind."</p><p>Goob nodded, still too taken aback by the money to manage a proper reply. "Thanks. I'll - I'll tell him. See you soon." Before he could end up having tears in his eyes again, he hurried over to the taxi that had pulled up nearby. It had been an awkward goodbye, he knew, but what else could he even have said? This afternoon had been nothing but overwhelming; it was amazing he'd held up this well, honestly.</p><p>He got into the taxi and told the driver his address, and as that guy set to the task of entering it into his navigation system, Goob saw that Virgil was still standing in the door.</p><p>All of a sudden, he knew what he had to do.</p><p>Goob met Virgil's eyes, cracking the smile he'd seen on so many pictures of Kenneth today. Then, he took off his hood as well. And his beanie, exposing the hair that, too, looked so much like his grandfather's.</p><p>Even from this distance, Goob could see Virgil's eyes getting wet as they widened at the sight. The man's smile turned a little wider as well, and the look he gave Goob now was one thing most of all: grateful.</p><p><em>Grateful for what?</em>, he couldn't help but wonder, and kept doing so as the taxi took off. <em>For me looking like Kenneth did, all those years ago? Or for being to Cy what Kenneth was to him?</em></p><p>Both, probably. And the truth was - he was grateful as well. For Cy, for Virgil, for getting to be a part of that strange connection their families shared. Even if Cy's dad still took some getting used to, to say the least.</p><p>Goob knew, of course, that this mood wasn't going to last. Soon enough, his mind would find a reason to feed him dark thoughts again, no matter how genuinely touching this last hour or two had been. That was how things were for his father, too… and how they had been for Kenneth, all those years ago.</p><p>Was it those kinds of thoughts that had eventually cost Kenneth his life? Goob didn't know, and there was no way he could. He only knew from himself that it wasn't all that unlikely. That was why he hadn't actually promised Cy's grandpa he'd manage to keep himself alive, after all. Saying he'd try was all he could offer without lying.</p><p>But for now, Goob pushed that looming awareness aside. Even if he wasn't going to feel this great forever, right now, there was one particular thought on his mind, something this afternoon had made him believe with all his heart.</p><p>It was good to be alive.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>[Spoiler for s4]</p><p>As you might be able to tell, I'm a big fan of the whole "(almost) all the students are clones" theory that has been floating around for a while. Allows for a lot of beautiful storylines :')</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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